Kukla's Korner Hockey

Category: Atlanta-Thrashers

Hockey is a tough game and for a team to be successful, it has to be played that way. Against opponents of similar stature, he would do the same.
Only far too often this season, Tkachuk believes, tough play has given way to dirty play. And with a spate of recent ugly incidents in mind, the veteran power forward feels his fellow players need to be a little more considerate toward their opponents.
“I think guys are taking a little more liberties now whereas years ago you had to be held accountable,” Tkachuk said on a conference call Wednesday. “Now with more and more players coming in there’s a lot of guys who aren’t accountable. It’s not fair. You want to go out and do something but you can’t because you’re worried about the consequences.

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I have been preaching respect all year- The NHLPA needs to step up and make all players aware of the damage they are doing to the game…

added 5:31pm, You can read the whole transcript of the Tkachuk tele-conference…

(Tkachuk) talked with atlantathrashers.com about how he likes his newest team (only the third franchise he’s played with in his 14-year career), how the atmosphere at Blueland could pay dividends come the postseason and how he got the nickname, “Walt.”
The Thrashers have won seven straight home games. What do you think of the atmosphere at Blueland?
TKACHUK: I like it. You have to be homers. That’s the bottom line. You have to win your games at home. Home ice is so important. We feel, very comfortable playing here and there’s nothing better than home cooking. This is a big step for the fans to see what playoff hockey is all about. It’s going to grow the game down here, too. There’s a great fan base now but to have them finally see playoff hockey and be a part of it, the place is going to be crazy.

John Kincade, co-host of 680 The Fan’s afternoon “Buck and Kincade Show,” is an unabashed hockey fan. He gives us five reasons the Thrashers are about to experience a playoff breakthrough:
1. Carolina won the Stanley Cup last season after finishing third in the Southeast and out of the playoffs the previous season. Last season, Atlanta finished third in the Southeast and missed the playoffs just like Carolina did. The last two Stanley Cup champs have come from the Southeast Division.

continued (reg. may be req.)... and I am surprised he mentions Kozlov as a veteran playoff performer. He is much more than that, a premier playoff player in his Detroit days…

I’ll admit that Johnny-come-lately fans can be kind of annoying, especially when they turn something you cherish into just another ‘the thing to do.’ But at the same time, if we’ve been craving success and craving a hockey-supportive city, then this is part of the package. This is what we wanted. If you wanted to keep the Thrashers limited to the hockey-wise fan, then you should have been satisfied with crowds of 12,000. If you want that extra 4,000-5,000, then you’ve got to welcome the newbies.

A while back I wrote: “… do I think [Keith Tkachuk] is some kind of “missing piece” that completes this team? Uh, no.”
Let me take this opportunity to say: I take it back. Completely and unreservedly. I take it back with humble apologies.
Over the past five games we have seen first-hand how a big-time NHL player plays

When I heard on the radio this morning that Don Waddell had been named the sixth-best GM in hockey, I did a classic Danny Thomas spit take with my morning coffee.
When I then realized that, no, in fact, Don Waddell had been named the sixth-best GM in all of sports, I accidentally swallowed my coffee mug whole, getting it lodged halfway down my throat in a horizontal position, so that you could clearly see the outline of the handle framing my Adam’s apple.